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Richard Mystrom (born 1944) is an American politician, businessman, and author who served as the 32nd mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage from 1994 to 2000. He is a member of the Republican party.

Early life and education

Mystrom was born in Minnesota in 1944 and attended the University of Colorado Boulder. In 1964, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He moved to Alaska in 1972.^[1]

Career

In 1975, Mystrom established Mystrom/Beck Advertising. In 1982, he received the Small Business Person of the Year Award from President Ronald Reagan.^[2] In 1990, he sold his advertising business, which was later merged into the Nerland Agency.

Mystrom was elected to the Anchorage Assembly in 1979, serving until 1985.^[3] In 1994, he defeated Democrat Mark Begich to succeed Tom Fink as mayor of Anchorage. In 1997, he withstood a challenge from Fink, a fellow Republican. Mystrom was widely considered the more moderate of the two Republican candidates.^{[citation needed]}

In office, Mystrom emphasized crime reduction and championed the "City of Lights" beautification program, encouraging residents and employers to ornament their homes and businesses with decorative lights during Anchorage's dark winter.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2003 election, he challenged incumbent Republican mayor George Wuerch in a three-way race. Begich, who had unsuccessfully faced Wuerch in 2000, was elected.^{[citation needed]}

Mystrom is a longtime advocate of bringing the Winter Olympic Games to Anchorage, and has chaired several committees to that end. Anchorage was twice the U.S. candidate for these Games (1992 and 1994).^[4]^[5]